Cooking apparatus for use with a plurality of fuels

ABSTRACT

A convertible fuel orifice apparatus for a cooking device and a cooking device having a convertible fuel apparatus are disclosed, wherein the convertible fuel orifice apparatus includes a body, a fuel passage extending through the body, wherein the fuel passage includes an inlet and an outlet, an insert disposed within the body, wherein the insert intersects the fuel passage, a first orifice extending through the insert, wherein the first orifice is configured for a first fuel, and a second orifice extending through the insert, wherein the second orifice is configured for a second fuel, wherein the insert is adjustable by a user to select between the first orifice and the second orifice.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/655,774, entitled COOKING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A PLURALITY OF FUELS and filed Feb. 22, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cooking apparatus adapted to utilize a plurality of different fuels, and more particularly to a cooking apparatus adapted to utilize both liquid petroleum and natural gas fuels.

SUMMARY

One disclosed embodiment provides a convertible fuel orifice apparatus for a cooking device, wherein the convertible fuel orifice apparatus includes a body, a fuel passage extending through the body, wherein the fuel passage includes an inlet and an outlet, an insert disposed within the body, wherein the insert intersects the fuel passage, a first orifice extending through the insert, wherein the first orifice is configured for a first fuel, and a second orifice extending through the insert, wherein the second orifice is configured for a second fuel, wherein the insert is adjustable by a user to select between the first orifice and the second orifice. A cooking apparatus having a convertible fuel apparatus is also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a partially broken-away view of a portion of a cooking apparatus illustrating an embodiment of a fuel transport system.

FIGS. 2A-2D show several views of an embodiment of a convertible orifice assembly of the fuel transport system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A-3C show several views of the orifice assembly body of the convertible orifice assembly of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4A-4D show several views of the orifice insert of the convertible orifice assembly of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5A-5E show several views of the valve cap of the convertible orifice assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a view of the convertible orifice assembly of FIG. 2 attached to a gas flow valve.

FIG. 7 shows a magnified view of alignment indicia on the convertible orifice assembly.

FIG. 8 shows a view of the convertible orifice assembly and gas flow valve of FIG. 6 attached to a manifold, and also shows a gas supply line connector exploded from the manifold and a manifold seal disposed in an end of the manifold.

FIG. 9 shows a view of the convertible orifice assembly, gas flow valve, manifold and connector of FIG. 8, wherein the connector is connected to the manifold via a saddle connector.

FIG. 10 shows a view of an exemplary embodiment of a cooking apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPICTED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows, generally at 10, a portion of a cooking apparatus configured to utilize a plurality of different fuel types. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a partially broken-away view of an underside of a control panel of a cooking apparatus, illustrating a fuel transport system for the apparatus. Cooking apparatus 10 may be any type of cooking apparatus, including but not limited to outdoor grills. In some examples, cooking apparatus 10 may be configured to be portable or stationary. While the depicted embodiments are described herein in the context of a grill, it will be understood that the discussion may apply to other types of cooking apparatuses. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the concepts described herein may be extended to devices outside of the cooking arts that utilize liquid and/or gaseous fuel sources.

FIG. 1 shows grill 10 including a fuel transport system for transporting the fuel between a fuel source and a fuel destination, such as a burner. The fuel transport system includes a flare fitting 12 adapted to receive a quick-disconnect coupling to receive connection of a fuel supply line, a manifold 14 to which flare fitting 12 is attached, a valve 16 coupled to manifold 14 to allow a user to control a flow of fuel to a burner or burners (not shown), and a convertible orifice assembly 20 connected to valve 16 through which fuel expands prior to mixing with oxygen at the burners. Convertible orifice assembly 20 may also be connected to a Venturi tube 18 such that an end of the orifice assembly 20 is positioned within Venturi tube 18. Venturi tube 18 may include an adjustable opening 19 to permit adjustment of an amount of air that is mixed with the fuel for combustion. It will be appreciated that the depicted components are merely exemplary, and that grill 10 may include any other suitable components in addition to and/or in place of those shown.

Convertible orifice assembly 20 may be configured to convert between a liquid petroleum (LP) orifice and a natural gas orifice, allowing either type of fuel to be used with grill 10. In contrast, conventional grills are typically configured to utilize a specific type of fuel source. LP (typically propane) and natural gas require different fuel transport system characteristics. For example, natural gas typically is supplied at lower pressure than liquid petroleum. Therefore, LP grills typically have a smaller valve orifice than natural gas. Furthermore, LP grills also have smaller fuel supply lines leading to the valve orifice than natural gas grills, and also may have different regulators. Therefore, grills configured to burn one type of fuel generally cannot be used with other types of fuels without extensive modifications. This requires a user who wants to use both LP and natural gas sources for grills either to buy more than one grill, or to modify one grill for use with the other type of fuel. Such modifications may be permanent in nature, and also may pose hazards to the user.

Convertible orifice assembly 20 overcomes such problems by including orifices for both LP fuels and natural gas. FIGS. 2A-2D show convertible orifice assembly 20 in more detail. Convertible orifice assembly 20 may include an orifice assembly body 22, a convertible orifice insert 24 that fits within orifice assembly body 22, and a valve cap 26 attachable to orifice insert 24 to hold the orifice insert within the orifice assembly body. Convertible orifice assembly 20 also may include various washers, O-rings, springs, and other parts not separately described herein to prevent gas leaks, etc. As shown in FIG. 2B, orifice assembly body 22 and/or orifice insert 24 may also include indicia 46 indicating which orifice is currently in use.

FIGS. 3A-3C show orifice assembly body 22 in more detail. Orifice assembly body 22 includes an inlet 30, an outlet 32, and a fuel passage 34 extending between inlet 30 and outlet 32. Orifice assembly body 22 may also include an opening 36 between inlet 30 and outlet 32, wherein opening 36 is disposed transversely to, and bisects, fuel passage 34. The depicted opening 36 has a tapered shape corresponding to the shape of the depicted orifice insert 24, but both the opening and the orifice insert may have any other suitable shape. Alternatively, orifice assembly body 22 may contain a cavity to substantially fully enclose orifice insert 24, rather than an opening for containing orifice insert 24. Where orifice assembly body 22 is configured to substantially fully enclose orifice insert 24, orifice assembly body 22 may be formed from a plurality of sections that are assembled around orifice insert 24 to contain orifice insert 24.

FIGS. 4A-4D show orifice insert 24 in more detail. It will be appreciated that the orifices may have any other suitable dimensions, and that the dimension may differ depending upon the desired maximum thermal output of grill 10. FIG. 4B shows an example indicia 46 for indicating which orifice is currently in use as well as an opening configured to receive an Allen wrench.

Orifice insert 24 is shown having two different orifices that extend completely through the diameter of the orifice insert: an LP orifice 40 having a smaller cross-sectional area, and a natural gas orifice 42 having a larger cross-sectional area. FIG. 4 shows orifice insert 24 in more detail. LP orifice 40 and natural gas orifice 42 are configured to line up with fuel passage 34 when orifice insert 24 is positioned in orifice assembly body and rotated to an appropriate position. Natural gas orifice 42 and LP orifice 40 are positioned at different locations on orifice insert 24, such that natural gas orifice 42 and LP orifice 40 do not line up with outlet 32 of orifice assembly body 22 at the same time. Therefore, orifice assembly 20 may be changed from a LP mode to a natural gas mode simply by turning orifice insert 24 to line up either LP orifice 40 or natural gas orifice 42 with fuel passage 34. However, it should be appreciated that orifice insert 24 may be configured to be adjusted by methods other than rotation, including but not limited to linear displacement, toggle mechanisms, etc.

It will be appreciated that the positioning and configuration of convertible orifice assembly 20 require a user to have the intent to change the setting from LP to natural gas for the change to be made. In other words, convertible orifice assembly 20 may be configured such that it cannot be moved accidentally between the LP and natural gas positions. Furthermore, the depicted convertible orifice assembly may require the use of a tool to make the adjustment so that the adjustment cannot be made accidentally by a child, etc. The depicted convertible orifice assembly utilizes an Allen wrench to make this adjustment. However, it will be appreciated that any other suitable adjustment mechanism for preventing accidental adjustment may be used.

As shown above in FIG. 2D, valve cap 26 can be configured to be attached to orifice insert 24 to hold the orifice insert in place in body 22. Valve cap 26 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5A-5E. Valve cap 26 may include a central opening 48 configured to accept insertion of a fastener (for example, the button head socket screw shown in FIG. 2D) for attaching cap 26 to orifice insert 24. Valve cap 26 may also include a protrusion 50 configured to extend into a complementary recess formed in orifice assembly body 22 (recess is shown at 52 in FIG. 2D). Protrusion 50 and recess 52 cooperate to restrict the range of rotation of orifice insert 24 within orifice assembly body 22. In the depicted embodiment, protrusion 50 and recess 52 are configured to stop the rotation of orifice insert 24 at the points where LP orifice 40 and natural gas orifice 42 line up with fuel passage 34. However, it will be appreciated that protrusion 50 and recess 52 may be configured to stop rotation of orifice insert 24 at any other suitable location or locations, or may be omitted from convertible orifice assembly 20.

FIG. 6 shows a view of convertible orifice assembly 20 connected to valve 16. Valve 16 may include a saddle connector 62 for connecting the valve to a manifold, and may also include a stem 64. Stem 64 may be configured to protrude through a control panel and accept attachment of a knob (not shown). This allows a user to control valve 16 by turning stem 64 via the knob.

FIG. 7 shows a magnified view of indicia 46. As can be seen, natural gas orifice 42 is in use when the “NG” indicia on orifice insert 24 line up with the arrows on orifice assembly body 22. Likewise, LP orifice 40 is in use when the “LP” indicia on orifice insert 24 line up with the arrows on orifice assembly body 22.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a view of convertible orifice assembly 20 and valve 16 attached to manifold 14. FIG. 8 also shows flare connector 12 exploded from manifold 14, and FIG. 9 shows flare connector 12 attached to manifold 14. Flare connector 12 may be configured to accept attachment of a quick-disconnect fitting on a fuel supply line so that LP and natural gas sources can be quickly and easily changed. Flare connector 12 may include threads (not shown) for attachment to a saddle connector 70.

FIG. 8 also shows a seal 72 disposed in an end of manifold 14. Seal 72 may include barbs (not shown) with a slightly larger outer diameter than the inner diameter of manifold 14. Seal 72 can be connected to manifold 14 by inserting seal 72 into manifold 14, thereby sealing manifold 14 with the barbs. Thus, in this example, no weld is needed to complete the seal. However, welds may be used in some embodiments. Furthermore, an O-ring may be used in the connection to provide additional leakage resistance.

While the depicted convertible orifice assembly includes orifices configured for LP and natural gas fuels, it should be appreciated that the convertible orifice assembly may be configured for any other suitable fuel, and may be configured to convert between orifices for more than two different fuels.

As described above, the depicted orifice assemblies may be used in any suitable cooking apparatus. FIG. 10 illustrates one example of a cooking apparatus 100 in the form of a portable outdoor grill. In the example of FIG. 10, the orifice assembly 20 is shown to be located generally adjacent an instrument panel of the grill. However, orifice assembly 20 may be located adjacent to a fuel supply connector, or at any other suitable location.

Furthermore, although the present disclosure includes specific embodiments of cooking apparatuses and orifice assemblies for cooking appartuses, specific embodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The description and examples contained herein are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but are included for illustration purposes only.

The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. These claims may refer to “an” element or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure. 

1. A convertible fuel orifice apparatus for a portable cooking device, comprising: a body; a fuel passage extending through the body, wherein the fuel passage includes an inlet and an outlet; an insert disposed within the body, wherein the insert intersects the fuel passage; a first orifice extending through the insert, wherein the first orifice is configured for a first fuel; and a second orifice extending through the insert, wherein the second orifice is configured for a second fuel; wherein the insert is adjustable by a user to select between the first orifice and the second orifice.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first fuel is natural gas and the second fuel is liquid petroleum.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a valve cap coupled to the insert to hold the insert in the body.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the body and the insert includes indicia configured to enable a user to align the fuel passage with at least one of the first orifice and the second orifice.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fuel passage is configured to be aligned to one of the first and the second orifice by rotating the insert in relation to the body.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insert is configured to be adjusted by a tool that is operated by the user.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first orifice is approximately orthogonal to the second orifice.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a cross-section of the first orifice is a different size than at least a portion of a cross-section of the second orifice.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insert is further configured to restrict rotational motion of the insert to a range defined by the first orifice and the second orifice.
 10. A cooking device having a fuel transport system comprising: a fuel passage configured to transport fuel between a fuel source and a fuel destination; and an adjustable orifice disposed within the fuel passage, wherein the adjustable orifice is configured to be varied by a user between at least a first orifice and a second orifice, wherein at least a portion of the first orifice has a different cross-sectional area than the second orifice.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first orifice is configured for natural gas and the second orifice is configured for liquid petroleum.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the adjustable orifice is configured to receive a tool, wherein the tool enables a user to vary the adjustable orifice between the first orifice and the second orifice.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the adjustable orifice is configured to be varied by rotation of the adjustable orifice in relation to the fuel passage by the user.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the fuel destination is at least one burner.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the adjustable orifice is configured to be varied by a user between more than two orifices.
 16. A method of operating an outdoor grill configured to utilize a plurality of fuel types, wherein the grill includes a fuel passage configured to transport fuel between a fuel source and at least one burner, and an adjustable orifice structure disposed within the fuel passage, wherein said adjustable orifice structure is configured to be adjusted by a user between a first orifice configured for a first fuel and a second orifice configured for a second fuel, the method comprising: attaching a fuel source containing a selected fuel type to the fuel passage; and adjusting the adjustable orifice structure in response to the selected fuel type.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said adjusting the adjustable orifice structure includes rotating the adjustable orifice to align one of the first orifice and the second orifice with the fuel passage.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first fuel is natural gas and the second fuel is liquid petroleum.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said adjusting the adjustable orifice may be performed without disassembling the grill. 